Belling the Cat（老鼠开会）

　　All the mice met together in a council against a fierce cat. "We cannot live because of the cat. There must be some ideas to get rid of it." "Please tell us your ideas."

　　But despite the enthusiastic discussion, they were unable to come up with a good idea. The oldest mouse advised the other mice, "It would be nice if someone let us know when the cat is coming." Having no good ideas, they were just studying each other's facial expressions.

　　At that time, the youngest mouse confidently said, "If we tie a bell around the cat's neck, we will know when the cat is approaching so we can run away." Everyone agreed to the young mouse's opinion.

　　Then, the leader mouse replied, "That is a good idea. If we tie a bell to the cat, we will be able to run away in advance. But, who is going to tie a bell to the cat?"

　　After hearing the leader, all the mice became quiet. No one wanted to tie a bell to the cat. The young mouse that offered the idea slowly read the others' faces and left the meeting.

　　单词注释：

　　council n. 理事会;会议;委员会;顾问班子;地方议会

　　fierce adj. 凶猛的;暴躁的;猛烈的

　　enthusiastic adj. 热心的;热情的;狂热的

　　in advance adv. 预先，提前